Thursday 17 December - 7.30pm - Jock & Di's place,
Riflebutts Road (2nd house on the left after the bitumen finishes.)
Salads and dessert provided by the club. To give us an idea of numbers for catering, please let Jenni know you're coming either by email here or SMS on 0400 896 364.
Bring your own meat, drink, chair, bathers and towel (Jock and Di have a new pool!)
Santa will be coming along with something for the kids too. Just not sure if he'll actually arrive on a bike.
Everyone welcome!
Despite the cancellation of last week's race due to a bushfire, and despite a section of the park being damaged and still closed, Dirt Crits will go ahead as planned tonight!
A reminder that Junior Dirt Crits will be held at Mirimbah. The All Terrain Cycles shuttle will be at Riflebutts at 4pm to take a load of bikes and riders out there.
A field of 20 signed up for racing Last Thursday on the Whitfield Rd to Graves Rd Handicap Race. Conditions were warm, as expected, and the challenge of “the Coombesberg” (Coombes Hill) loomed toward the end of the race.
Tony Morris started 1st closely followed by Louise Hopwood; these two were nearly 3 ½ minutes ahead of the larger group of Ian Conrick, Rod Manning, John Esiner and Wil Wilson; a minute back from them was David Jagger, David Bock and Allan Gerrans; then a further two minutes to Will MacDonald, Jason Parker and AnthonyPlummer; then a further minute to Dave Moore and Alex Green who were followed at another minute by the “Block “group of Darren Bakker, Tom MacMunn and Rob Skinner. Josh Hopwood held the Scratch position on his own which is always a tough ask.
Rob Skinner suffered a mechanical just prior to the start making the challenge for the block group a little harder.
After the turnaround at Long Lane, things came together pretty quickly at the front with the Conrick, Eisner, Manning and Wilson group catching Louise Hopwood and Tony Morris, and they in turn were caught by the Jagger, Bock and Gerrans group. Out of this a new group formed before the turn onto the “Coomsberg”, with Eisner, Wilson, Manning, Bock and Jagger working together. Bocky took a flyer up the Coombesberg “I thought you were all with me, but I looked back and you weren’t there” he stated later. Bocky was reeled in before the Mt Battery junction and this group, was looking good to challenge for the sprint.
At about that time Tom MacMunn and Dave Moore, who had formed up out of the Block and second block groups, cruised onto the back of the group and showing a quality turn of speed, claimed first and second across the line. A very creditable third was John Eisner, emulating the exploits of Bakker and Ross in previous races. Fourth was Wil Wilson and in 5th place was David Jagger. Fastest time on the night was Josh Hopwood with a blistering time for the 22km of 39.36.
Racing next week will be a team time trial on Mt Buller Rd, come down and join us on Thursday night at the race start (BP Roadhouse); helpers are always welcome. Or maybe join us all for the de-brief and presentations at the Delatite Hotel from about 7.15pm.
So with Christmas just around the corner and better weather here, it must be time to “get on your bike.”
More detailed results can be found here.
Belly Breathing // Excusing a gut as a breathing technique.
The assertion that one is not sporting a protruding gut but is in fact using a highly sophisticated respiration technique called diaphragmatic breathing.
It's taken a while but disc brakes are finally going to be legal to use in road races - 2016 for the pros and 2017 for the rest of us. Which begs an interesting question... which year does Darren Bakker start using them? He's 'pro' as bro but doesn't have time to ride with GreenEDGE 'cause he enjoys being a plumber so much.
Here's an article from Cycling Tips explaining the rule change a bit more.
Delatite Dash, Monday 16 Nov.
Monday 16th November saw the mountain bike crew traveling out to Sawmill for the second running of the Delatite Dash.
Each rider was to complete two individual time trials up the awesome Delatitie River Trail (also the final part of the Epic Loop) from Sawmill to Mirimbah. Rather than the rider with the fastest times it was decided that the rider with the most consistent times over the two runs would be declared the winner.
After exciting riding and unfortunate delays in timing calculations Cam Dobson and Harry Retief were declared equal winners with a time difference of only 4 seconds between each run.
Rider Run #1 Run #2 Time Diff Ranking
Cameron Dobson 10.39 10.43 0.04 1
Harry Retief 9.39 9.43 0.04 1
Fastest overall time on the night went to Kian Lerch-McKinnon with a very quick 7min14sec. Detailed results of all racers can be found here.
The racing was enjoyed by all!
Enduro, Monday 23 Nov.
A great night of downhilling and thanks to Shannon for organising a really fun course. And it was great to see Mitch Greenway; thanks for the assistance with the timing.
Dave Moore smashed his runs and came away with both the fastest individual run and the fastest overall combined time of two runs. Awesome job Dave! Notable mention should also be made of the second fastest hardtail on the night, Damian Grundy. Well done Damian. (Kian was the fastest on a hardtail but beaten by Dave by 10 seconds overall for the win and so not really worth mentioning).
In B Grade Harry Retief stayed upright (as far as we're aware) and won comfortably. Detailed results here.
See you all next week.
An enthusiastic field of 24 cyclists gathered at the Lords Ground last Thursday for the second Howes Creek Handicap of the season. In blustery conditions the first three lone starters, Dave Clark, Tony Morris and Cherie Worthington, found the conditions tough. The group of John Eisner, Craig Wilson, Rod Manning, Tim Hall and Geoff Jones similarly found the wind disconcerting and it wasn’t long before Hall and Wilson rode off the front to form their own more efficient pair.
Cherie picked up Manning and Eisner and rode well until the turnaround at Cummins road.
The turnaround saw a mass of riders converging with Steve Flew jumping off the front of David Bock, Belinda Cipa and David Jagger.
With the wind behind, a fast single-file echelon formed for most of the trip home. Alex Green, Christine Hopkins, Will MacDonald, Anthony Plummer and Jason Parker joined the pack and in his first race, Joel Marrison did well to jump on from the two-minute group.
Wilson and Hall continued to ride well out the front and it was only at the penultimate hill that Ross Hopkins and Josh Hopwood came from the pointy end to overtake them and contest a sprint finish. With a little extra left in the tank, Josh edged out Ross to take the win (and fastest time of 38’59” for the 25km). Tim came third with Joel and Christine rounding off the top five.
Thanks again to our crew of marshals, the Delatite Hotel and the motorists of Howes Creek for their courteous driving.
The points for the season make interesting reading too; here are the top ten. Belinda Cipa currently leads on 38 points from Rod Manning on 34 and Geoff Jones on 30. Then comes Josh Hopwood on 29, Di Condie 27, Craig Wilson 23, Tony Morris 22, Louise Hopwood 21, then Lucy Clapham and Rob Skinner both on 20.
An interesting article on VeloNews about what makes a tyre fast; and a test on which ones are fastest.
... here are a few videos from the Global Cycling Network.
This is a good one on mountain bike tyres.
This one is 'How much faster is an aerodynamic position?'
And this one is 'How to improve your bike handling skills.'
And with the warmer months coming, one on climbing rhythm.
Thursday 19 November saw the Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club host one of its longest races of the season so far – the 29km Coombesberg Handicap. Starting at the Botanic Park, 15 riders headed out along the Whitfield Road to turnaround at Sawpit Gully Road, then turn left onto the Barwite Road, then finally turning right onto Old Tolmie Road and finishing on top of Coombes Hill – or the Coombesberg as the MMBCC have dubbed it.
Tony Morris started alone as the Limit group; 12 minutes ahead of the Scratch group. Two minutes later he was followed by Di Condie and Louise Hopwood; then came Belinda Cipa, Rod Manning and Craig Wilson off 8 minutes; John Eisner, Steve Flew, Allan Gerrans and David Bock started together off 6 minutes; at 2.45 was Dave Moore, Will MacDonald and Rob Skinner; and last to leave were Mauro Brega and Darren Bakker off Scratch.
With a strangely warm south-westerly blowing, the outward leg didn’t see any significant changes in ‘running’ order (apart from Skinner and Moore dropping MacDonald) until after Bridge Creek. But the climb up to Sawpit Gully Road saw groups two and three come together and form an impressive unit.
Group four finally started making some ground on the lead group on the way back towards Mansfield. In fact, by the Barwite Road intersection, only Cipa, Hopwood and Manning were still on the front ahead of Eisner, Bock, Gerrans and Flew.
Eisner and Gerrans started to struggle near the Old Tolmie Road intersection, so Bock and Flew went on ahead to catch the frontrunners. But the three leaders were cagey enough to ‘jump-on’ when the two faster riders came by, leaving five to fight out the final kilometre up the Coombesberg.
Cipa proved too strong, taking the sprint ahead of Hopwood with Manning running out of legs and finishing third (which might have been due to riding up Old Tolmie Road in the morning… what a way to warm up for a bike race!)
Next came Flew, Bock, Skinner, Gerrans, Eisner, Wilson and Bakker rounded out the top ten and claimed fastest time. Full results here.
Many thanks to our volunteer officials for the evening: Leonie, Jenni, Deb, Dave and Matt. Next week’s race is a Handicap on Howes Creek Road, starting at Lords Ground at 6pm. Entries via SMS to 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.
One year ago Alain Guerin was killed while riding his bike, just down the hill from here.
Tonight, cyclists from the Mansfield Mount Buller Cycling club and members of his family took time out to remember the life of a very special person, by visiting his ghost bike.
Rest in peace Alain.
More pics to come...
Tonight the riders arrived at Dirt Crits for the ‘Mystery Event’, which was a long-course event. This utilises the front and back side of Rifle Butts mountain bike park. The back side is rarely used for Dirt Crits and this course provides the opportunity for a longer race format. It also includes some more technical rocky sections for the riders to master.
It was a quieter night in terms of entries, with 13 riders being sent off in a handicap format. Most riders rode 2 laps but the lucky ones rode 3 laps! The handicapper had a bit of a task trying to sort out the riders, to hopefully ensure that there was a close finish.
Harry Retief, who has had a break from Dirt Crits, was a bit of an unknown quantity, and as a result slipped under the handicappers guard to post an impressive win by almost a minute from Alex Green and in third place was Brett Stevens. Great riding Harry! Jem Davies crossed the line 7 seconds in front of Will Grundy, with a fast finishing David Bock 8 seconds further back. Adam Baker continues to improve and took out 7th place, followed by David Jagger 30 seconds behind. Then came the first of the 3-lappers with Dan Friday in 9th, Trevor Arnold (2 laps and missing a bit of bark here and there) 10th, Damian Grundy 11th, Matthew Empey 12th (moving up to the 3-lap group, and looking strong at the finish. BTW Kate, I don’t think you’ll be getting your bike back anytime soon!) and Anthony Plummer in 13th, having a recovery ride after competing in the Buxton Bootcamp event the previous day.
From the feedback received after the race many of the riders enjoyed the longer format and the variety of the terrain.
Thanks to Dave Empey for timing the event.
Next Monday 16 November is the Delatite Dash starting from Carters Road and finishing at Mirimbah.
Kate Empey will be running the Junior Dirt Critters at Rifle Butts Mountain Bike Park, as usual. Juniors are welcome to race with seniors if they can out to Carters Road.
Registration for the Delatite Dash will be held at Carters Road at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start. We will plan on having two timed runs of the sections from Carters Rd to Mirimbah, time permitting.
You are most welcome to bring along a BBQ and have dinner at Mirimbah after the race.
Hi All,
Just an update about Junior Dirt Crits.
The last three weeks has seen some great improvements as riders have got back on their bikes post the Winter break. The course has been so dusty it is hard to believe it isn't summer already!
Monday Oct 19th was taken by Damian Grundy. A real treat for the juniors to have an ex-Australian coach taking them and saw the return of the handicap race.
The following week was handicapped again with some surprises in the younger riders getting stronger. The time difference between the riders has reduced significantly with all riders showing considerable improvements in speed and ability.
Monday 9 Nov was time to refresh the riders on the importance of passing safely. Riders rode the small circle practising communicating with the rider in front and indicating if they were going to pass on the left or right. Yes a bit boring but important. This was followed by some fast laps where the order reversed on the second lap encouraging all riders to ride their fastest. The group was split in two to make it easier to run. There was then time for one timed fast lap for those riders still wanting more.
Riders are reminded to bring water bottles along to Dirt Crits.
Next week, 16 Nov we will continue at Rifle Butts. Juniors are welcome to race with seniors out at Carters Road if they can get out there.
Cheers, Kate.
Don't forget that tonight (Thursday 12 Nov) is Alain's Ride. After the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap finishes on Graves Road at about 6.45, everyone is welcome to join us for a gentle ride along the Buller Road, then back to the Delatite for race presentations and to remember our friend Alain.
Racing took place under threatening skies on Thursday 5 Nov, when a field of 23 riders took to the Howes Creek Road course.
Dave Clark started the racing off, followed by Tony Morris and then a large group of Geoff Jones, Di Condie, Cherie Worthington Will Grundy and Lucy Clapham; this group was always going to be hard to beat if they became organised, and organised they were. By the Turn around at Cummins Rd three groups were one and riding strongly.
Will Grundy suffered a mechanical on the home leg and was out of the running; the chasing group of Craig (Wil) Wilson, Belinda Cipa and Rod Manning were working well together to chase down the limit bunch... and they came close to achieving this.
At the finish Geoff Jones spoiled the party for women riders in this Melbourne Cup week and came away with the win. Second went to Lucy Clapham and a close run thing to third for Cherie Worthington.
Dave Clark found the pace a little willing on the return leg. However we are confident that his form will improve significantly after his annual training pilgrimage to the Great Victorian Bike Ride in the coming weeks.
Fastest time on the night was ridden by Josh Hopwood with a blistering 38.20.
Next Thursday is the inaugural “Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap” race, this being the first anniversary of Alain’s death. We hope that this will be a flagship event for the club and invite all riders to come and race, or perhaps join us for a ride after the race finish. The race will commence at the Botanic Park in Mansfield and finish on Graves Rd at about 7pm. (Day Licenses are available for those wishing to race and the club has some bikes available for loan to licensed riders.)
Bike riders of all types will then join together to ride out to Alain’s bike on Buller Road and back into town to raise a glass for Alain at the Delatite Hotel. All bike riders and friends are invited to join Alain’s family and the club on the ride and/or at the Hotel.
Thank you to our volunteers for their support… and see you on your bike!
With Targa High Country held this weekend, it's probably sensible to change courses for this weekend. Here are some details on roads to be used for Targa for the weekend. Leg 2 will be held on Saturday on the Whitfield Road. Leg 3 will be on the Jamieson Road on Sunday.
So… bunch rides should be the other way around - Jamieson Road on Saturday and Whitfield Road on Sunday.
Barjarg round of the state downhill series - Sat 7 & Sun 8 Nov
Ride to the Divide - Sunday 8 Nov
They're also running a crit with 5 grades and a fair bit of prize money
Whittlesea Challenge - Sunday 15 Nov
River and Ranges Winery Ride - Sunday 22 Nov
The scheduled Four-Up Sprint planned for Thursday 12 November has been changed. Thursday 12 November will now be the Alain Guerin Memorial Handicap.
Held on course number 9 (click here and scroll along to Course Number 9) the race will start at Mansfield Botanic Park, head north along the Whitfield Road, turning around at the Long Lane intersection, then left onto Barwite Road, right onto Old Tolmie Road and right again onto Graves Road, finishing on our usual finish line on Graves Road.
After the race, we're planning a processional ride out along Mt Buller Road to Alain's 'Spirit' Bike. Then it's back to our 'club rooms' at the Delatite for race presentations and to remember our friend Alain with his family and the rest of the MMBCC.
Everyone is invited to join us for the Ride for Alain from Graves Road, out to Alain's Bike, then back to town.
The race on Monday 26th October saw 21 keen riders taking on something a bit different with a graded scratch elimination in the Senior Dirt Crits event.
The conditions were dry fast and skatey with rocks and dust flying. The last half of 'Rubbish Run' was included for a bit of a novelty. Luckily, no one binned it too badly, although Jem Davies had a bit of a go at it and there were also others losing it a bit with the argy bargy of a mass start.
Keoni Bruner took out a convincing win in C-grade with David Bock taking out the honours in B-grade. In A-grade Kian Lerch-MacKinnon was too strong winning easily with Bruce Halket fighting off a charging Dan Friday for second.
Detailed results to come...
It was a smaller but brave and enthusiastic list of starters that rolled up for the Mansfield MtBuller Cycling Club’s traditional Chapel Hill Road Time Trial last Thursday night. A moderate, swirling westerly wind didn’t affect the field or times considerably and first off was Dave Clark returning after a stint of not doing much on the hill over winter. Rod Manning followed with Cherie Worthington, Lou Hopwood, Tim Hall, David Bock, John Eisner, Craig Wilson, Rob Skinner, Aaron Peterson, Bruce Halket, Josh Hopwood, Steve Flew, Jarrod Appleton, Kian Lerch-MacKinnon and Christie Hamilton making up the rest of the field.
Enjoying one of his favourite courses and with a home ground advantage, Craig Wilson rode very well to record a road time of 19’42” over the 11.5km. Josh Hopwood and Bruce Halket got down to business, recording solid times of 16’04” and 16’54” respectively. Kian blitzed the tarmac with a fastest for the night of 15’49”. It was Rod Manning though who, undistracted by a bunch of other riders, rode a solid 20’04” coming in well ahead of his mark to take out the corrected win for the night. Josh placed second, Craig third, Kian fourth and Bruce fifth. Thanks to our crew of marshals and to the Delatite Hotel for supporting the presentations after the event.
It was a big turn out at Dirt Crits this week with 22 starters in the Senior event. Newcomers included Nick Hinnaberg, Joel Marison, Christie Hamilton and Cameron Dobson. It was great to see Jai Lerch-MacKinnon back into the Dirt Crits scene. Allan Gerrans, a newcomer to mountain biking, was keen to work on his skills.
Damian Grundy had worked hard on analysing the times from the previous weeks to make the Irish handicap a tight race. He did a great job as the majority of the riders finished within one minute of each other. First over the line was Jai Lerch-Mackinnon, followed by Joel Marison and Ben Grundy. Dave Moore had an excellent return to Dirt Crits taking out fourth place, followed by Alan Gerrans and Ollie MacDonald taking fifth and sixth place, respectively. Fastest rider of the night was Kian Lerch-MacKinnon. Great work!
Cam Lachal is running the event on Monday night so we look forward to seeing you there!
More detailed results can be found here.
On a breezy evening last Thursday, the 22nd, 25 riders started on the Whitfield Road for the MMBCC’s first Handicap road race of the summer.
First time racer Belinda Cipa came away with her maiden win from the consistent Di Condie. Tony Williams and Will Grundy couldn’t be separated in a dead heat for third.
They were followed home by Lucy Clapham, Christie Hamilton, Geoff Jones, Craig Wilson, Allan Gerrans and Laurent Guerin rounded out the top ten point scoring places.
Fastest time went to Kian Lerch-McKinnon who, despite being fastest, could only manage 15th place.
This week’s race is an Individual Time Trial on Chapel Hill Road. Entries via SMS to 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.
And... here are the results.
Junior Dirt Crits started back Monday 12th October and eighteen eager riders turned up. Once registrations were sorted the riders set off in two separate groups for a one lap time trial. A number of the riders showed considerable improvement in their times and their riding ability. Once that lap was done a rough handicap was worked out on their one lap times and they all raced another 2 laps. Max Next week Damian Grundy will take the race.
The Seniors turnout was a little smaller but the racing was nevertheless highly competitive. The first handicap for the new season saw some very close finishes within the field, however Adam Baker at the front was a clear winner by slightly more than a minute to Rachael Grundy in 2nd place and Dave Empey in 3rd.
Other results: 4th Bruce Halket, 5th Will MacDonald, 6th Jem Davies, 7th Dan Friday, 8th Mike Davies, 9th Ollie MacDonald, 10th Peter Coffey, 11th Will Grundy, 12th David Bock, 13th Ethan Lee, 14th Matthew Empey, 15th Alex Green and 16th Kian Lerch-McKinnon. Sadly, Brett Stevens was a DNF due to a mechanical failure.
The MMBCC encourages all riders to come up and have a go. The courses aren’t too intimidating and the handicapping is designed to match race distances and time differences to each rider’s abilities in order to give all competitors a chance for a win at least every now and then. The emphasis is very much on fun and fitness. We would especially encourage females to come up and have a go.
For novice riders there is the possibility for some coaching and technical guidance, just ask at race registration.
Kids racing starts at 4.30 with registration from 4.15 onwards and seniors race at 6 with registration from 5.45pm.
Little Rippers start again on Monday the 19th. This is for prospective mountain bikers who are still on a balance bike! Riding starts at Riflebutts Reserve at 4pm.
While Kian may have finished last at Monday night's Dirt Crits, he had a reasonable excuse.
On Saturday he headed to the You Yangs for the Yowie; and won!
Then he jumped into the car for the drive to Bendigo, got there 30 minutes before the start and promptly won the State Schools MTB Final.
Great job by Ross for all the driving!
Then on Monday he had to ride all the way from Ancona to Mansfield to race Dirt Crits! I bet he slept well on Monday night! (He made up for it on Thursday night though…)
The second round of the Mansfield Mt Buller Cyling Club’s Summer road series was held last Thursday on the Buller road in perfect cycling conditions.
Twenty one starters fronted up for the graded scratch event with A Grade heading off first. It didn’t take long for Josh Hopwood to get restless and attack off the front. Reeled in twice, his third attempt was successful but it wasn’t long before Kian Lerch-MacKinnon made his own move on the long hill up to Hearns Lane. Interviewed after the race, Hopwood noted that, “I looked back and suggested we form a team but by the time I’d said that, Kian had passed me and was well up the hill on his own.” Eventually the peloton reeled in Hopwood but with a level head, Kian stayed well clear of the field earning a solid win. A bunch sprint decided the minor placings with Josh edging out Tom MacMunn for second and third place.
B Grade had a relatively uneventful trip out and back with Craig Wilson’s mechanical issues being the only point of note. The sprint finish was well contested, however, with Will MacDonald leading from “a mile out” and was able to hang on to reserve a tentative spot in A Grade with a good win. David Jagger judged the bunch well and placed second with David Bock coming a close third.
C Grade separated early on with Di Condie riding well out the front. Geoff Jones was pursuing doggedly and further back were Tony Morris and Christie Hamilton. Nearing the end Di looked back and was surprised to find Geoff quietly sitting right on her wheel. Tactically reversing the situation, Di dropped back before a good sprint finish saw her take the win over Geoff with Tonyplacing third and Christie Fourth. The evening finished well at the Delatite Hotel with presentations, dinner and appropriate rehydration.
The club welcomes anyone who is interested in having a go at racing or cycling in general. With Graded and Handicapped formats, the level of experience, equipment and fitness becomes less important plus it’s a great, social way to keep fit! Check out the club’s website at mmbcc.org.au.
This week’s race is the first of the handicapped races on the Whitfield Road. SMS John on 0428 50 34 37 by 8pm Wednesday to enter.
Further to the recently announced trial of 'A Metre Matters' laws for two years in the ACT, South Australia has this week adopted it as law! Great news for South Australians. But what about Victoria?
The Victorian Minister for Transport is Jacinta Allan and our local lower-house member is Cindy McLeish... in case you think 'A Metre Matters' would be a good idea here too.
Finally, with the 100th Melbourne to Warrnambool on this weekend, here are a couple of good articles on the world's second oldest road race. Click here and here.
Welcome one and all to the first race of this new season of MMBCC Dirt Crit mountain bike races.
And might I say “What a sizzler for a mid-Spring race!”
Great to see friends and competitors after the winter break all ready and eager to go for the new season. A good number of familiar faces and some new faces fronted up at Riflebutts Reserve Mountain Bike Park on Monday night for the first of the seasons' races.
The race format was a little experimental with two shorter races in order to help us gauge form and fitness.
A mass start for two regular laps was the first effort with Ethan Lee first over the line followed closely by Matthew Empey and Bruce Halket in 3rd. Time gaps were a miserly one sec between 1st and 2nd and then a mere three seconds to 3rd. 4th David Bock, 5th Mike Davies, 6th Peter Coffey, 7th Brett Stevens, 8th Jem Davies, 9th Rachael Grundy (1st Female), 10th Will MacDonald, 11th David Jagger, 12th Adam Baker, 13th Trevor Arnold, 14th William Grundy (1st Official Sandbagger), 15th Ollie MacDonald, 16th Matthew Currie.
The second race was then a handicap for 2 laps simply reversing the order of finishing from the first event and using the finishing time gaps as the start gaps also in reverse.
At the finish of the final 2 laps it was Will Grundy, having obviously shaken off the sand from his first 2 laps. as the clear winner. Bruce Halket demonstrating the benefit of regular winter ergo sessions came through the field for a very commendable 2nd and David Jagger a strong 3rd. Rachael Grundy 12th overall completed the family sweep with a dominant performance in small but strong women’s field J as the first woman.
4th Mike Davies, 5th Jem Davies, 6th Matthew Empey, 7th Ethan Lee, 8th Brett Stevens, 9th Will MacDonald, 10th Peter Coffey, 11th David Bock, 12th Rachael Grundy, 13th Adam Baker, 14th Trevor Arnold, 15th Ollie MacDonald, DNF Matthew Currie.
Looking forward to next week’s race already. Grab your mountain bike and come out for some fun.
October brings lots of changes to Mansfield: warmer weather, daylight saving and Mansfield Mt Buller Cycling Club racing starts again!
Road racing kicked off on Thursday 8 October with a Graded Scratch race to welcome the legs back to competitive riding. 24 roadies woke from hibernation to turn the legs over.
One of the highlights of the night was the high number of familiar faces making a welcome return to racing after a hiatus; welcome back to Deb Sala Tenna, Louise Hopwood, David Jagger, Rob Skinner and Geoff Jones.
Another highlight was the new faces having a go at racing for the first time: a very warm MMBCC welcome to Cherie Worthington and Lucy Clapham. It was great to see so many ladies racing and having a go!
Five A-graders headed out first with Josh Hopwood being first back on his lonesome; he’d ‘simply’ ridden everyone else off his wheel. Mind you, a little mechanical incident between Mauro Brega and Darren Bakker helped his cause; while both bikes were nobbled, only the riders’ pride was hurt.
Despite being dropped before halfway, Tom Macmunn fought back strongly to finished second ahead of Brega.
The biggest field of the night saw 10 B-graders start in a leisurely, even sedate fashion. (11 were entered but Jason Parker was a DNS when he succumbed to the old electronic-gears-with-a-flat-battery trick.) The tempo increased after the turnaround when Dave Moore and Rob Skinner went clear. David Bock, John Eisner and Allan Gerrans worked hard to bridge across; but when Dave and Rob surged again at the Barwite Road, only John had enough in the tank to stay with them.
At the finish, Rob proved too strong ahead of Dave and John.
C-grade saw an orderly outward leg, with Di Condie giving some tips on race craft and bunch etiquette.
Will Grundy was prominent, covering all the important moves and conserving energy where possible. His strategy proved successful; he got away from the bunch with Louise Hopwood and won the sprint to take his second win in four days (on his other new bike!) Great result from Worthington coming in for third place in her first race.
Many thanks to our volunteer officials for the evening: Leonie, Julie, Jenni, Tony, Ian and Jarrod. (And a reminder to all potential road racers that a BRIGHT, constant beam tail light is compulsory for all road races!) Next week’s second road race of the season is another Graded Scratch Race, this time on the Mt Buller Road, starting at Rodwell’s at 6pm. Entries via SMS to 0428 503 437 by 8pm Wednesday.
More results here.
Last night saw a great entry list at the first Dirt Crits. Congratulations to Will Grundy on taking the first win of the season. Full results will be listed soon.
The Dirt Crits Calendar for the rest of 2015 is now available here.
The traffic lights are gone so we're good to go with the first Graded Scratch Race this coming Thursday on Whitfield Road, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back (Course no. 5). Entries by 8pm Wednesday to John Eisner via SMS on 0428 503 437.
Don't forget... Dirt Crits start for senior racers for the 2015/2016 season tomorrow night at Riflebutts MTB Park.
Registration at 5.30, racing starts at 6.00.
Welcome to the new MMBCC website. Make yourself at home, have a look around, subscribe to the news (on the right hand side of the Home page) and keep up to date.
Woohoo! It's almost Dirt Crits time.
Dirt Crits start soon!
Thanks for your feedback via the MTB survey. Due to the survey results, racing will be held on Monday nights this year.
Start dates and times:
- Seniors: Monday 5 October 6.00pm.
- Juniors: Monday 12 October 4.30pm.
The Dirt Crits calendar is still being finalised; more details soon.
Road Races start soon too!
Our first race is planned to be a 25km Graded Scratch Race from the Botanic Park, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back on Thursday 8 October (Course 5).
However, the traffic lights for the road works on the new housing development just north of town are still in place and we're still waiting to hear whether they're still scheduled to be there on the 8th. So stay tuned. If the lights are likely to still be installed, we might have to cancel (as our permit doesn't allow us to change 'venue' at short notice).
Our second race is meant to be a Graded Scratch Race on the Buller Road on Thursday 15 Oct (Course 2, 22km) so this might end up becoming our first race.
The Road Race Sub-committee will be meeting soon to organise the duty roster for the summer. If there's a certain Thursday night you know you can't do, let Bruce know as soon as you can.
We'll also be meeting to organise the VicRoads/Police permits for 2016. If you have any request, get them to Bruce as soon as you can.
Cycling Australia membership renewals.
1 October is the day road memberships can be renewed. Joining the club for 2016 includes October, November and December of 2015 as well. Click here for more details.
Club kit.
There is still a few bit 'n' pieces of club kit left at half price! Contact Bruce if you'd like some.
A-Metre-Matters trial in ACT.
The Australian Capital Territory will trial the 'A Metre Matters' laws for two years, replicating the trial underway in Queensland and soon to be introduced in South Australia.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the same in Victoria!
The Victorian Minister for Transport is Jacinta Allan and our local MLA is Cindy McLeish in case you think 'A Metre Matters' would be a good idea here too.
A few recreational rides coming up…
Ride to the Divide on 8 Nov.
Cycling Victoria's Whittlesea Challenge on 15 Nov.
GreenEDGE Winery Ride on 22 Nov.
Cycling Tips' Giro Della Donna also on 22 Nov.
New club website.
The newly upgraded club website will be ready to publish shortly. This is another call for photos. Please contact Bruce if you have an image or two which would look good.
AGM wrap-up
Many thanks to all who attended the AGM at The Produce Store last month; and thanks to all that put their names down for the different sub-committees.
Congratulations to our new Treasurer, Tony Williams, who is the only addition to the existing Executive (many thanks again to Julie Dolling, our outgoing Treasurer.)
Congratulations also to Kian Lerch-Mackinnon and Hayden Fletcher, the 2015 Rider Development Grant recipients.
We'll soon have the minutes up on the website so you can check out all the details.
Simon selected
Simon Gerrans has been selected to race the World Championships, at Richmond, Virginia, USA, on Sunday 27 September. Click here for details.
SBS will announce their broadcast details shortly.
Yarck to Yea
Next Sunday 12 September will see a charity ride along the Great Victorian Rail Trail for 27km from Yarck (meeting at the Giddy Goat Cafe) to Yea (the old railway station) raising funds for the John Wallis Foundation.
Ride starts at 10am with Registration open from 9am. There are also shorter Run and Walk options. Or click here to register online.
Bright Junior Camp
The MTBA Junior Camp is on again at Bright from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September. It's open to all mountain bikers between 13 and 17 years old. For more information, please contact Jason Parker.
New club website
Hopefully, this will be the last Latest News you'll get to read on this old website. The new site is almost ready! It will have all the details of the upcoming MTB and Road Race season calendars.
If you have any new-ish photos you think might look good on the new site, please contact Bruce.
CV Challenge Series
Cycling Victoria have already started promoting their Seight Challenge Series for the summer… and it has a significant change. What we think is the best of the rides, the Whittlesea Challenge, has now moved date to November.
Here are the details of all the series.
GreenEDGE Winery Ride
On the weekend following the Whittlesea Challenge is another of our favourites, the GreenEDGE Winery Ride. This is a beauty!
How to look good on the bike
Finally, here are a few good tips on how to look good on the bike from Mark Cavendish's Sports Director at Etixx-QuickStep, Brian Holm. "Rule #7: Avoid sleeveless cycling jerseys at all costs" works very well for me. But I'm also keen on "Rule #9: Don’t look like a triathlete".
Click here to read the full article on Cycling Tips.
Here's the latest news from the MMBCC...
Rider Development Grant applications now open - click here to download
The Grant provides financial assistance for talented MMBCC cyclists aged 25 and under. It's designed to encourage and support the development of promising young riders at varying levels in their cycling careers.
Please click here to download a copy of the Guidelines for the 2015 MMBCC Rider Development Grant.
Sorry for the short timeframe but we need applications to reach us by Monday 6 July.
Successful applicants will be announced at the AGM at The Produce Store on Wednesday 19 August.
Our next road race is tomorrow, Sunday 26 April; entries will be taken on the day from 9.30am (please don't be any later than 9.45!) and we'll start at 10 sharp! Entry is $5 for adults, $2 for juniors.
Course is number 14 - Botanic Park to Sawpit Gully Road turnaround, left onto the Barwite Road and finish on the Coombesberg. Click here and scroll down to number 14.
If you have a spare hour or so and don't feel like racing, please come along and help out so we can put on a safe race. The club will shout you a coffee at The Produce Store afterwards, plus you'll have the gratitude and appreciation of all the racers.
MTB News
All Terrain Cycles are hosting weekly night rides up at Riflebutts Reserve. Charge your lights and meet at the reserve at 6pm every Wednesday.
Autumn Road Series begins
Our first road race since finishing the Summer Series is set for this coming Sunday. It'll be on the Whitfield Road, out to Sawpit Gully Road and back (course number 5 on the club listing).
Entries will be taken on the day from 9.30am (please don't be any later than 9.45!) and we'll start at 10 sharp! Entry is $5 for adults, $2 for juniors.
If you have a spare hour or so and don't feel like racing, please come along and help out so we can put on a safe race. The club will shout you a coffee at The Produce Store afterwards, plus you'll have the gratitude and appreciation of all the racers.
Summer Series results
The Cycling Club held its Summer season break-up at with a barbecue at Mirimbah Park on Sunday 29 March.
Trophies were awarded for the riders who scored the most points over the season in Mountain Biking, Road Racing and in a new “Combined Award” where the rider with the best combined score in both Mountain bike and Road disciplines is awarded the trophy.
In Mountain Biking Aaron Sargeant won the trophy showing a clean set of hills to the second place getter, Ethan Lee and third place David Bock.
Bruce Halket took out the Road Race Summer Series, second was the ever-competitive Darren Bakker and in third place Josh Hopwood.
The new combine trophy was one by 'Mr Consistent' David Bock; he was happy to accept the new trophy designed and constructed by Ash Perrin.
Thank you to our helpers and commissaires throughout the season.
MMBCC President Craig Wilson, Dirt Crit series winner Aaron Sargeant and Dirt Crit Co-ordinator Jason Parker.
The three winners (L to R) Bruce Halket, David Bock and Aaron Sargeant with their trophies.
Here are the top ten in each competition and the top five in the combined.
MMBCC Dirt Crits 2014/2015
Aaron Sargeant 316
Ethan Lee 290
Dave Bock 274
Jem Davies 272
Brett Stevens 255
Rod Sargeant 236
Cameron Lachal 236
Kian Lerch-MacKinnon 197
Matthew Empey 178
Peter Coffey 155
MMBCC Road Race Summer Series 2014/2015
Bruce Halket 112
Darren Bakker 88
Josh Hopwood 70
Kian Lerch-McKinnon 66
David Bock 59
Foley Lachal 52
Will MacDonald 50
Mauro Brega 47
Mitch Greenway 44
Tony Williams 34
MMBCC Combined Trophy 2014/2015
David Bock 333
Kian Lerch-McKinnon 263
Bruce Halket 261
Cam Lachal 244
Will MacDonald 204
Cobbles, frites and Belgian beer
Get out your Belgian Beer and your pommes frites… Paris-Roubaix is on this Sunday night! One of the best road races of the year, it combines normal roads around the north of France with 27 sections of nasty, uneven cobble stones, or pave. It'll be shown on SBS One from 9.30pm. Click here for a preview.
